Rylands 56 - Heysham Atoms 8
North West Counties Cup Quarterfinal

In a mixed season for the Atoms one bright spot has been the successful cup run so far enjoyed. The draw had been kind to the atoms until this stage, when they were drawn against the in form Rylands side, coached by ex-Warrington, Ireland and Great Britain winger Mark Forster. Certainly his qualities of pace and aggression had been noticeably installed into his charges on a hard, dry surface well suited to their style.

A makeshift Heysham side missing no less than 6 regulars held off an early period of pressure from the home side but eventually cracked, an offload from the giant Rylands prop putting the busy scrum half underneath the posts. The Warrington side continued to attack for the next 15 minutes and the Atoms knew they had to turn the growing tide. The Atoms broke through the fast aggressive defence with a short ball from Hartlebury to Garnett, who broke the line and outstripped the cover to go over from 50 yards for an excellent try. 20-4. The influential Keith Hartlebury was left dazed by a late, high tackle on kicking the ball and though the Atoms readjusted, a difficult task was made that much harder. The Atoms continued to fare better towards the end of the first half but were prone to individual defensive lapses against a heavy onslaught. Andy Aldren and Bryan Cambidge led from the front but the patchwork nature of the atoms defence became unstitched to see a 28-4 half time scoreline

The atoms fought gamely throughout the second half but with little reward. Russell Birkett enjoyed the physical side of his move to second row, students Guy Richardson and Alex Batson prompted and probed, and Liam Hall ploughed a strong furrow around the rucks. As the Atoms tired Rylands began to move the ball swiftly and penetrate more easily and the half-century was reached. Debutants Steven Rooney and Colin Bebbington came on for their first taste of life at the sharp end and fared well in the closing minutes.

The Atoms never gave up until the final whistle and in the closing seconds a change of direction and a clever pass put Andy Garnett over the line for the last try of the afternoon. The Atoms now have a week off to regroup and plan the way forward before facing promotion seeking Folly Lane at Trimpell in a fortnight.